


On The Edge Of Balanced

by Dirty_Corza



Series: Mayra Hawke [11]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Emotional Hurt, F/M, Relationship Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-13 21:49:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11194131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dirty_Corza/pseuds/Dirty_Corza
Summary: Missing scenes before the last act of DA2, a look at Mayra Hawke’s relationship with Justice.





	On The Edge Of Balanced

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the handerslympics event, where I wrote for the prompt "Justice" (the Tarot card) on team canon.

Mayra woke slowly, registering first the weight of the blanket across her back, then the coolness of the sheet clutched tightly between her fingers. With a soft sigh, she opened her eyes, staring at the empty pillow beside her with a sense of resignation twisting in her gut.

Even in the darkness, one thing was clear: Anders was not in bed. It had been weeks since she had last woke up with his warm presence beside her, if she didn't count the nights she woke only to see the glowing lines of Justice across his skin as he slipped from bed. Every night, it was the same. They would fall into bed together, often too exhausted to do more than rest, wrapped in each others arms. Then, several hours later, she would wake. Not quite cold, but very alone.

The nights she had gotten out of bed, unable to fall back asleep alone, she had found him in the library, no lamp or fire, shrouded only in a blue glow, a cool brightness that made the familiar room seem like a different place entirely. It was disconcerting, seeing Justice in so domestic a setting. The stark difference in their mannerisms were much more apparent outside the heat of battle.. When she called out his name, Justice didn't even bother to raise his head. The pen kept moving, and if it wasn't for the muttering of "The Work Is Very Important" she would have thought he hadn't heard at all.

After the first few encounters, she had given up on talking him back to bed. It left her with two options, really. Trying to force herself back to sleep, alone and shivering in a way she couldn't quite make sense of; or heading downstairs to curl up on her armchair in the library, drifting off to sleep in the cool blue glow, only to wake hours later back in bed, with Anders curled protectively around her.

A deep breath, another, and she was pushing away the blanket draped over her, slipping into her soft house shoes and a robe before heading downstairs. Some nights, she was fine being alone in the darkness, some nights she almost needed it. Tonight, though, was a night of haunted dreams the darkness only seemed to amplify. For all he wasn't Anders, for all the strangeness of this constant companion, Justice felt safe, a light in the dark that reminded her Anders was close at hand.

\- - -

Mayra had to pause when she reached the library. It didn't take much to tell that something had happened, that tonight was different from the way she had gotten used to finding Justice at work. There was more than a blue glow, tonight. Even from the hall, she could see firelight playing at the edge of the door.

Slowly, she pushed it open, eyes widening at the sight of Justice standing in front of the fireplace. Her surprise grew as she took in what it was he was burning.

Papers, a whole mess of them, falling by the handful into the flames before him. A quick glance at the desk told her what they were: the manifesto, the work of over a year, and now all going up in flames.

"Justice?" Her voice was soft as she stepped forward, slowly moving to his side. "I thought- I thought they were important."

The last of the papers fell into the flames before he turned to her, a look of sad resignation on his usually impassive features. "They cannot do what is needed to be done. They are... Not enough."

"Then what is? What comes next?"

He shook his head, turning away. "He does not want you to know. He wishes to keep you safe."

"But you have a plan. A next step."

"There has always been a Plan."

"And I won't be allowed to help." She didn't bother to hide the irritation in her voice, the bitterness in the words.

"He wishes to protect you." Justice's voice was soft, in a way she rarely heard. Almost as if he wised there were something more he could say.

"And if I don't want to be protected from this?" She turned to him, eyes pleading for an answer she didn't believe he'd give her.

"You are upset with him, with us, for this." He reached for her, glowing fingers brushing away the hair that had fallen across her face, his palm resting there against her cheek where she could feel the crackling of fade energy, as steady as a pulse.

"I am."

"And yet you tell this to me, and not to him."

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him."

"Lying-"

"Can't break his heart before you do what you need to do. After, the truth will out. But until then, I won't be his distraction."

Her words were met with silence, with him staring into her eyes for one heartbeat, two, before he slowly nodded. "That... Would be Just."

**Author's Note:**

> A shoutout to Mnemo, and Lego for your encouragement during my writing process, and to hawkeyoulikeahurricane for their beautiful comment over on tumblr. <3


End file.
